Prodigy

Rieka Degahv #1

by Jan Clark

Uniting seven races on ten planets, the mighty Commonweath has only one enemy: the Procyons, a warlike race who thrive on aggression. A fragile truce between the two powers has ensured galactic peace - until Rieka Degahv, human captain of a commonwealth starship destroys a Procyon vessel in deep space.

Now charged with high treason, Rieka and her few remaining allies embark upon a desperate search that will take them into some of the highest political and military quarters - and into a high stakes duel of intergalactic intrigue that threatens to destroy far more than Rieka...

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Mary JL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book One of a two part series. Captain Reika Degahv , after an encounter with an enemy ship, is stunned to find herself arrested for treason.

Unlike many SF books, in this series Earth is not the leader of the Commonwealth. Instead , Earth is a backwater planet and Humans are looked down upon. Reika soon finds out that most of the Fleet considers her guilty. However, in her training to reach the rank of Captain, she had made friends with two alien Commonwealth Captains----Triscoe Marteen , a Centauri and an Aurian , Robet DeVark. Knowing Reika from working with her, the two captains cannot believe she is guilty.

Under pressure, the Fleet reluctantly lets Reika out on bond---and the three have only twenty days before the trial date to prove Reika's innocence. And we're off! Action, intrigue, suspense, some humor and a good plot. Classic ,entertaining space opera----not going to win the Hugo Award--but it is a fun quick read to pass a few evenings with. Recommended for any SF fan.

[Minga Dotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan Clark does a bang up job with this space opera, solid characters and convoluted plot, good backgrounds and worldview, makes you interested to find the next book in this series. Multiple worlds and races, a war in the offing, a romance woven through the mayhem of chameleon aliens out to take down the Commonwealth, of which humans are the least member. So when a human captain is accused of treason it is only her close friends and allies who believe her innocent of the charges and do their best to gather the proof that implicates the warlike aliens currently technically at peace with the Commonwealth. But it's her life that keeps being threatened from multiple sources, and it takes her brain and bravery to fight her way free to link the info they have bits and pieces of and save the Commonwealth from certain destruction.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in a 2 book series by Jan Clark. This is a good example of the Space Opera genre with a strong female lead. In this one Rieka Degahv, one of the few human captains of the Commonwealth Fleet, unwittingly destroys an enemy ship in deep space and is then charged with high treason. She and her two best friends embark on a desperate search to untangle an intergalactic intrigue that will prove her innocence and hopefully stop an interstellar war. This book is a good read and I recommend it.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts about this book, but it's probably a solid 3.5 for me.

[Mike Hedley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot, technically a bit weak. Many science fiction authors make a reasonable fist of space travel, planetary geography, biology, spaceship construction and weapons. Clark does not.

[D Corbishley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trope trope trope. ...

[Katie]

Not the greatest book ever written, but not horrible either. Thirty pages in I realized I had at least started the book at some point. Halfway through I realized why I never finished it. I felt like Clark was attempting to create an Honor Harrington type character and story arc; however, the book fell short on both counts. Rieka, the main character, did not feel fully fledged out and a bit two-dimensional. Her CO and the captain of the repairs port were more interesting and I would really have liked to had more of both. The story felt a bit flat from time to time as well. The premise was interesting, it just felt like it could have been meatier.

[Elizabeth]

TBR

[Foxtower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! There aren't enough women writers that bring a womens touch to male dominated genre.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the sequel. I wish Ms. Clark had written a third to round out the story of Rieka & Tris.